When I was a little boy gamer I would spend a bit of my allowance on Electronic Gaming Monthly a great little gaming magazine. Unfortunately, young gamers will never understand what the industry was like twenty years ago. In a time before the Internet, the only place to get gaming news for a young kid was a glossy magazine. Today, EGM closes its doors and we’re losing a historic piece of gaming history.
Granted, there were other glossy magazines prized by young boys too, but we were old enough to purchase Electronic Gaming Monthly, now known as EGM by the hip and cool. Although EGM was founded in 1989, many adults between the age of 29 and 35 probably spent their youth flipping through the pages reading the reviews and editorials.
The days of the magazine are drawing to an end for many industries, with video game websites covering everything from truly hardcore to highly niche, we all demand our information as soon as possible. If a company like Ziff Davis is selling its properties, we want to know the minute it is announced, when 1UP is purchased by UGO we want to know the minute the ink dries. Why? Because we can.
January 2009 marks the last issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. After Hearst Corporation (owner of UGO) purchased 1UP from Ziff Davis it was announced that EGM would be seeing its last issue. Sure, there was a chance this would occur without the acquisition as well but the sadness wouldn’t be any different. We’re sure the staff will find a great home writing for another publication or in the online world, but it is sad just the same.
Along with the sad news of EGM closing, we’ve heard a number of folks at 1UP have also been effected by Hearst Corporations purchase of 1UP which has many people out of a job during tough economic times. There has been rumor the 1UP podcasts being ditched as well, but we have heard nothing official yet (please comment with official stories if you hear).
Of course, 1UP is “officially” rejoicing at the news but we know this is part of the “smoke and mirrors” that is an acquisition. A few, now former, 1UP folks have been using twitter and game forums to voice their own “opinions” of the purchase.
This is a rough economic time for many people, printed magazines, online publications and others. The only shining light is knowing many of these individuals will find new places to call home or start brand new online publications to compete against their old company. Talent will not go restricted, they will no doubt group together to form new aged publications to show off why the big boys are flailing in the dark.
We wish them all well in their efforts to find success.
Sorry Paul, I just don’t do hate.
Jordan, your description of Rage reminds me of how I felt after finishing Doom 3. Not a bad game, but I wouldn’t pay 60 USD for it.
@Resident Evil 6 on-disc DLC unlocked by modders
Bwa ha ha ha ha :))
Way to go modders! As far as I am concerned, the contents id already free (if you bough the game).
Dan, interesting point there, it could be something to be unlocked.
@World of Warcraft cities laid waste by first level priest
What makes it funny is that Blizzard is now going after the hacker. Jeez, why not invest the time in finding other such bugs and patch those as well? Talk about the wrong way to spend time and energy.
@QOTW: None, unfortunately. I had very little time to play any game in the first half of the year, I doubt I’ll have more in the fall or winter. Heck, I still have Shadowrun to finish, Portal 2, the Penumbra games and so on.
I might pick up a game or two if there’s a sale on Steam – maybe Company of Heroes or Metro 2033, but again, no new game, and with very little chance of playing them these months.
@Cheating AI: Red Alert was also cheating.
And yes, Quake 3 bots were able to accurately figure out the velocity vector of the player in order to lead their rockets (cheating). True. But you could also change your direction after the rocket was shot. And in the mean time, you would have to place your own rockets close enough to frag them. That’s the challenge, beat a cheating computer.
Turns out the Resident Evil 6 DLC is free after all. The next DLC will probably unlock the rest of the copntent on the disc.
@Sony sues Kevin Butler actor for appearing in Wii commercial: In my opinion they are making a big deal over nothing. It’s not like someone was going to buy a PS3 but then decided to buy some tires because there was a chance they could win a Wii. I even read that his exclusivity contract expired a few days before the ad aired.
@QOTW: This fall I only plan to buy Assassin’s Creed III, so that I can save up some money for the Wii U. It is at the top of my list because I know for sure that I will enjoy it, especially now that it’s finally changed to another setting.
P.S. I would love to hear that Doctor Who podcast some time soon. If any of you haven’t seen it, here’s the brilliant unshot scene that would have been perfect in the last episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWU6XL9xI4k
@Sony and Kevin Butler
Never heard of the guy. Only seen him once during the E3. They didn’t market him outside US. Fully agree with DynamicJul. Much Ado about Nothing. Sony’s lawyers just want a thicker pay check this Christmas.
@Warcraftopocalyps
I wish I was there. That’s what I love about MMOs. Sometimes stuff like that happens. Before it died, Face of Mankind was like that every day. Something bonkers would happen all the time. To bad that Blizzard will probably find the guys, fine them $1 million and get them imprisoned in Guatanamo.
@AI cheating
I had far to many experiences with this. The eternal bane of shooters was making the AI super accurate. In RTS they would hammer you with endless waves of enemies. Takes out all the fun out of challenging yourself. Left4Dead is a primary example. On expert the AI flaunt all the rules in an attempt to rape you into dust. It’s frustrating but ridiculously satisfying if you succeed.
@Gameboy Micro
Here is the reason why it didn’t sell. The day I went out to buy a Micro I instead ended up buying a pre-owned DS with a game for less cash. And it could play GBA games as well. What was the point releasing a Micro after DS anyway?
o hai, i’m sorry, i could not post last podcast. i always post when i can :3
to begin my feedback i’d like to apologize to Shawn on last podcast’s giveaway on choosing the same game as him (half life). if i had seen that i’d have choosen crash bandicoot 3.
@jonah calling me drunk on 281st podcast
1st: i did not meant “‘real time’ reviews” as in real time real time, it was a way for me to say “more often reviews for games that get patched often”.
AND I ONLY GIVE FEEDBACK WHILE DRUNK SOMETIMES >=] (not now, not then)
@Resident Evil 6 on-disc DLC unlocked by modders:
i bet if were not for the Street fighter X tekken “agreement” that capcom made with the consumers after the on disk DLC was discovered, this would not be a free one.
@QOTW:
idk, i’m saving money to see if medal of honor: warfighter is worth of my hard drive space. and if dishonored is as good as it looks, i’ll buy it on the winter steam sale. what about CoD:BO2 you ask? nope.avi
@QOTW
Just bought the new Pokemon. But I don’t think they count as anything major these days. Getting my mits on Halo 4. That’s my target. Hope 343 industries don’t muck it up. Planning to import a Wii U. Straight from Japan. To play all those Japanese Wii titles I missed. And just try to imagine Assasins Creed 3 in Japanese.